Generally, a robot cleaner is a self-propelled working machine moving in a logical manner to vacuum dust or small litter. The robot cleaner determines a distance to obstacles, such as furniture, office appliances, walls or the like, provided in a region, which has to be cleaned by using sensors. The robot cleaner selectively drives a pair of motors to prevent a collision or interference with the obstacle, so that it may automatically change direction to clean the region.
Referring to FIG. 1, the robot cleaner includes a body 1, two driven wheels 2 each provided at both sides of a front lower portion of the body, two driving wheels 3 each provided at both sides of a rear lower portion of the body, a pair of motors 5 for driving the two rear driving wheels 3, and a timing belt 7 for transferring a driving force to the front driven wheels 2. The robot cleaner also includes a suction port 9 provided at a front end portion of the body 1 for suction of dust or small litter. The suction port 9 is driven by a predetermined driving motor (not shown).
The robot cleaner constructed as described above, automatically changes a traveling direction by selectively driving a pair of motors 5 while operating the suction port 9 to clean the region. Since conventional robot cleaners vacuum dust or small litter on the floor through the suction port 9 while traveling across a cleaning surface, the robot cleaner cannot disinfect bacteria or viruses that may exist on the floor. In order to disinfect the surface of the floor, a user cleans the floor again with a boiled wet dust cloth, which can be cumbersome. Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.